Return-Path: <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id f3D03Fg19325; Thu, 12 Apr 2001 20:03:25 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 20:03:25 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <000c01c0c3ac$e7c962a0$daa22a3f@computer> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "gdemetrion" <gdemetrion@email.msn.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:464] family literacy--it takes a village X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4133.2400 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 8720 Lines: 193 Colleagues: Some time back I posted several messages on our agency's community-based literacy initiative. Today, one of our tutors, Rose, also a long term parent volunteer in the family resource center where the program takes place, interviewed three of her students. I was tempted to post the entire interview, though its 3,000 caused me to pause. Instead, I include only the discussion with Geraldine who has been with the program for a long time and is still in the beginning level class and has some obvious cognitive processing problems. While it is doubtful that her reading level will dramatically improve, what she says about her own learning, its meaning for her life and her family, is profound. There is much discussion these days about performance-based education. What Geraldine has learned and the impact the program has had on her life, may or may not show up on evaluative frameworks based on "outcomes," only, particularly if they are separated from the more subtle context in which they are often embedded. Moreover, without extensive interviewing, observation, and close case study analysis, it would be virtually impossible to capture the subtle and poignant things that Geraldine has shared, yet on any standardized "instrument," she comes out a nil on the observable radar screen, and I'm not sure that checklists or goal sheets would either get at the depth of her experience. Geraldine is willing to share her experience with others. May what she says play even but a very small role in the effort to help justify a humane and enlightened national policy and priority on the ineffable, but highly meaningful phenomenon of adult literacy education. Obviously, many of us could share similar types of stories. I would encourage us all to think through how we might be able to establish a national "data" base of interviews like the following. George Demetrion Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford Gdemetrion@msn.com Gdemetrion@lvgh.org March 12, 2001 Rose: How long have you been coming to the program? Geraldine: It's just five years. And I like it and stuff like that, so, I' ve been learning and writing and stuff. So far, I'm getting used to it. So, that's all I've got to say. Rose: What have you learned, basically, in attending your classes? Geraldine: Reading and writing, how to spell, how to say the vowels and whatever and maps and stuff. And so far, I like it. It's doing me real good. So I can get to learn to help everybody else to do math and stuff. That's my goal for the next year. Rose: What topics do you like the most? Geraldine: Reading, writing, spelling, talking to everybody. And that's my goal and that's my topic. And coming to school on Tuesday and Thursday. And talking to my teacher like I'm doing now. Rose: What things are you finding easier now that wasn't easy to you before? Geraldine: Reading, writing and spelling, saying the vowels and everything else and that's my goal. Rose: And what do you think about the group setting? Geraldine: It's nice and stuff, you know and to talk with everybody and see what they got to do and this and that. So it's nice, when I want to get my goal, I'm going to put my focus on that goal like I thought. I'm going to really try hard to get that goal, like I thought. And I really want my granddaughter to get it to, so I'm helping out a lot with that. Rose: How do you feel? Geraldine: It's nice. It's close. I been walking for a while. If I have to go somewhere [for a program], I take that chance and go somewhere else. I've been this far coming, so I ain't ever going to stop coming here. That' s all there's too it. Rose: And Geraldine, how do you feel about the setting, the staff.? Geraldine: The staff is nice. I really enjoy the staff. I'm learning from the staff, too. I'm learning from everybody and everybody else helping the staff. Geraldine: If you got a problem, you either ask Linnette or as Paula, they' re there to help you. They'ain't gonna turn you away from your problems. They're there to help you. When I first stated I didn't know nobody. I'm learning from the staff. I'm learning from my daughter and I'm learning from my granddaughter. They're the only two I got to learn from. I'm not learning on my own. I'm learning from the students and I'm learning from the staff. That's the only way I'm going to get something in life. If you're learning from the staff, you're gonna get it. That's my goal, learning from the staff. You ain't learning from somebody else. You're learning from the staff and you're learning from the teachers. If the teachers ain't there, you're learning even from a student or even by somebody out in the street. That's the way see it out there. 'Cause I was out there. It was hard for me when I first started here. I didn't even know nobody, like I said. That 's my next goal. If I got to learn, I'm going to keep on learning. Rose: In your reading and writing, how are you using it in your daily life? Geraldine: I look at the newspaper, I write the words down. Then I ask my boyfriend what the sign is. He like, "spell it. If you can't spell it, write [copy] it. Now I'm doing both. I'm looking at the signs when I go down town. I'm looking this way and that way. Then I take another [look?] and they don't be right. I be like, "I give up." Then I say something else and if it still don't be right, then I [get?] it then. That's all. Rose: Do you have anything you'd like to change about the program? Geraldine: That we have more time to come instead of [just] Tuesdays and Thursdays. I wish it were on Fridays' too. Rose: Do you all have something to say about what does literacy mean to you? Geraldine: Everything that Tex had shared is about the same. "Cause I like to read, I like to write. I like to so a lot of things with my grandkids. Every time I do stuff, they're right there learning it. Then my granddaughter ask me a question, like "what is it. She's like, "grandma, what is this word?" I'm like "cat." She like, "how can I spell that?" " "C-a-t, cat." And then she'll write it five times, then I have to spell it. That's how I get taught the learning, then I'll spell it myself. And I help her out more than me. Most everything I be doing, she catch on with me. We about at the same level. Yeah, I be helping a lot of people out. That's my goal. Geraldine: When I get mad, right, I don't take it out on the class. I take it out on me. Cause I had that evil in me and I get mad. Then something tell me," don't do it." Then when I get home I still do it. Then when I start doing something else, it's like, "Geraldine, your homework, your homework." I be like, "Okay, Geraldine, do it." See, I got that self-esteem because of my mother. I didn't get it from my sister. I didn't get it from my brother. I didn't get it from my father. I got it from my mother. See, a hard head gonna make a soft behind and that's what it is. I 'm hard headed and I'm evil. My daughter got the same temper. Me and her are just the same way. Rose: Okay, so everything sounds really good. Now, if you could tell anyone about the program or your learning that doesn't have any experience with adult literacy classes, what would you say? I'd tell them about the adult literacy classes. Geraldine: My father didn't even know how to read and write, right. He still don't. I be like, "dad, come to class with me." See, my father, he have that real low self-esteem. He hide [hiding]. He can't read and write. He's been like that all his life. I be like, "dad, come to class with me on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We help you if you don't know how to read." See, I want to know how to read. I didn't know how to read. While I was going to real school, I didn't know how to read. I was on a learning .handicapped side. I still don't know how to read. I'm learning now. I told my daddy, "dad, come to class on Tuesday and Thursdays. I'll give you the umber. You can call the guy here who'll tell you to come to class with me." He was like, "Geraldine, I'm going to come to class with you one day, he said. He got to keep that self-esteem on his self instead of me pushing him. I told my daddy, I told my sisters-my sisters don't know how to read. I'm the only one who know how to read and write. Tex: How many in your family? Geraldine: Four of us. Four girls and one boy. I mean I had a battle on my hands-a battle. It ain't easy when you come up you got to fall down. It 's always gonna be like that. You got to fall one day. And I done do that so many times. I said, "now, my self-esteem is empty." :
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